With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the Steelers are beginning to wrap their top-30 visits. And on Monday, the Steelers hosted a pair of intriguing first-round talents.
Georgia's Broderick Jones and Clemson's Bryan Bresee met with the Steelers on Monday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, and both players could fit in quite well in Pittsburgh.
Jones is one of the top-rated offensive tackles in this year's class, and he plays the left side. At 6-5 and 311 pounds, Jones possesses great size and athleticism that should help him make the transition to the NFL game as a left tackle. He's known as a bully, meaning defenders will have to go around him rather than through him. How well he can handle the speed on the edges in today's NFL will be the determining factor for just how good can truly be at this level.
Regardless of how the Steelers feel about Dan Moore, the idea of selecting Jones in the first round would be the coup de grace for Omar Khan's first full offseason as general manager -- one in which he has already overhauled the interior of the offensive line by signing Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency.
There's a very realistic chance that Jones won't fall to the Steelers at 17. However, the Steelers are still covering all of their bases by meeting with players that could be gone before they are on the clock. After all, Khan has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of trading up if a deal could be made so they can grab a player they really want.
"I love the idea of having a lot of picks, but you know, all options are on the table," Khan said during the owners' meetings. "Obviously, if there's an opportunity to trade up to get a player that we think that's an impact player and can help us right away, or be a good long-time Steeler, we're going to evaluate it, but all options are on the table."
If the Steelers were to pounce on Jones, or any tackle in the first round for that matter, it would be a first for Mike Tomlin. The last time the Steelers took a tackle in the first two rounds of the draft was when they selected Ohio State's Mike Adams in the second round of the 2012 draft. The last time the Steelers took a tackle in the first round, we have to go all the way back to 1996 when they selected Jamain Stephens out of North Carolina A&T.
Bresee will most likely be available to the Steelers should they decide to pick where they are slotted at 17th overall. And, Bresee is one of the more polarizing prospects in this year's draft.
Slotting in at No. 21 on our Corey Crisan's NFL Draft 1-through-32, Bresee's measurables are worth everybody's attention. At 6-5 and 298 pounds, Bresee ran a 4.86 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was fourth-best among interior defenders who ran in Indianapolis, and his 29-inch vertical was seventh among Combine defensive tackles.
After turning in 22 reps on the bench press at the Combine, he improved by six reps during Clemson's pro day. In addition, Bresee's 7.41 three-cone time during his pro day would have been fourth-fastest among Combine interior defenders, and his 4.45 short shuttle would have been the fastest.
All of that should quell any concerns about his ACL injury and other health issues, which include a shoulder injury and a kidney infection. However, his stats beyond his freshman year of college were underwhelming. NFL executives have to decide whether or not multiple injuries and health issues, and dealing with the sudden and tragic death of his sister, were the catalyst for those numbers being down, and if he's worth a first-round investment.
I've heard multiple talent evaluators compare Bresee to Cam Heyward because of his size, athleticism, versatility and maturity on and off the field. If Bresee can turn into Heyward's successor, the Steelers might have an easy decision if he's available at 17.
One-on-one visits at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex help provide clarity for everyone in the Steelers' front office regarding tough decisions like these.
